[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":94},["ShallowReactive",2],{"movie-seo-tt0139488":3},{"movieId":4,"title":5,"year":6,"sources":7,"metadata":35,"relatedMovies":46,"similarMovies":59,"collections":90,"is_curated":91,"verified":92,"lastUpdated":93},"tt0139488","A Natural Born Gambler",1916,[8,17,24,30],{"channelId":9,"sourceId":10,"id":10,"title":11,"description":12,"size":13,"addedAt":14,"downloads":15,"type":9,"channelName":16},"archive.org","ANaturalBornGambler1916--BertWilliams","A NATURAL BORN GAMBLER (1916) -- Bert Williams","A Natural Born Gambler (1916) Starring: Bert Williams American Mutoscope and Biograph Film Company William Thomas Sherman, wts@gunjones.com, http:\u002F\u002Fwww.mn-hp.com",299290135,1767744369,508,"Archive.org",{"channelId":9,"sourceId":18,"id":18,"title":19,"description":20,"size":21,"addedAt":22,"year":6,"downloads":23,"type":9,"channelName":16},"gambler","\"A Natural Born Gambler\" (1916)","  This gem is presented by Silent Hall of Fame.   Please visit https:\u002F\u002Fsilent-hall-of-fame.org\u002F   to support our non-profit mission and the legacy of silent movie stars by making a tax deductible contribution.   FEEL FREE TO FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SilentFilmGems   \"A Natural Born Gambler\" is a short comedy. This film illustrates the work of cinematographer Billy Bitzer, a star of Silent Hall of Fame. Bert Williams was a major Broadway comedian.  He was invited by Biograph to write, direct and star in two films, with \"A Natural Born Gambler\" being the better one by all accounts. Bert Williams loves poker and is on the verge of winning big (with the help of cheating) when the police intervenes and he is thrown in jail. There he has a dream of playing a poker hand, but will he win or will he lose? Directed by                          Bert Williams Produced by                        Biograph Company Scenario by                          Bert Williams Cinematography                Billy Bitzer Starring                               Bert Williams Distributed by                     General Film Company Release date                        July 24, 1916 Running time                      23 min. Country                               United States Language                             Silent, English intertitles Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976: \"Allowance is made for \"fair use\" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.\"    ",304307779,1767744512,17716,{"channelId":9,"sourceId":25,"id":25,"title":5,"description":26,"size":27,"addedAt":28,"year":6,"downloads":29,"type":9,"channelName":16},"natural_born_gambler","In 1916 the Biograph film company signed black comedian Bert Williams to write, produce, direct and star in two comedies. Williams created \"A Natural Born Gambler\" and \"Fish.\" While hardly a breakthrough in shattering racial stereotypes (Williams was required by the studio to wear \"darkie\" makeup), a black production with a black cast was unprecedented. The response was tepid and Williams did not appear in any movies after Fish . Gambler borrows from Williams' Vaudeville skits. It makes heavy use of stereotypes, e.g., stealing, cheating, minstrel speak, mainly for the amusement of white audiences of the time. But Williams portrays a leadership role throughout, something unseen in black performances of that period. Williams' character, \"Bert\", is unprincipled, but likable nonetheless. The delegate of his social club has a very distinguished role worth noting. When a well-dressed man from out of town visits Bert's watering hole with a wad of cash, Bert sees an opportunity and calls for a poker game. The closing sequence, probably the most entertaining, is straight from Williams' stage act. Bert plays an imaginary card game in a skit Williams made famous on Vaudeville. IMDb entry: http:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Ftitle\u002Ftt0139488\u002F",827004788,1767744602,29710,{"channelId":9,"sourceId":31,"id":31,"title":5,"size":32,"addedAt":33,"year":6,"downloads":34,"type":9,"channelName":16},"silent-a-natural-born-gambler",367163956,1767744650,220,{"Rated":36,"Runtime":37,"imdbRating":38,"imdbVotes":39,"Genre":40,"Plot":41,"Director":42,"Writer":42,"Actors":43,"Language":44,"Country":45,"Awards":36},"N\u002FA","22 min",5.4,163,"Short, Comedy","Our story centers upon the activities of a Negro fraternal organization, the Independent Order of Calcimine Artists of America. [Inside joke: \"calcimine\" is whitewash, and yet most of these black actors appear to have darkened their complexions with blackface makeup.] The group meets in the back of a saloon. Their leader, Brother Scott, is a lawyer who disapproves of gambling-- although, after breaking up a poker game, he doesn't object to appropriating others' winnings. Our protagonist is lodge member Bert Williams, described as a \"walking delegate,\" who is clearly in arrears with both the saloon's barkeep, Hostetter Johnson, and with the lodge itself. Early on, he is compelled to remit the dues he owes (three dollars), which he does reluctantly. [Some prints of the film omit the next sequence: After leaving a meeting with his friend Limpy Jones, who is handicapped with gout and must ride on Bert's shoulders, Bert passes a graveyard where he overhears two chicken thieves splitting up their takings, saying \"One for you, an' one for me.\" He and Limpy are convinced that they have overheard devils splitting up their souls, and flee in a panic; Bert actually pushing the crippled man over in his haste to run away. Limpy makes his way alone back to the saloon and tells the others about the frightening experience. Bert, meanwhile, encounters the thieves on the road and pieces together what really happened. He invites the thieves to accompany him back to the saloon, where Limpy is made to look foolish. Then Bert and Limpy appropriate the thieves' stolen chickens, and eject the men from their company.] Bert attempts to win back his recently-paid three dollars from the club's treasurer in a dice game, but Brother Scott interrupts and forces them to depart-- meanwhile pocketing the money they left behind. After Brother Scott exits, a sporty young man, Cicero Sampson, flashes a wad of bills he apparently won gambling, up north. Bert, impressed, challenges Sampson to a game of poker. A lookout is posted in front of the saloon. Bert wins Sampson's bank roll and his pocket watch-- by cheating, with Limpy's assistance unfortunately, just at his moment of triumph, cops bust the place and arrest all the players. Brother Scott represents the group in court, and seems to have a very friendly relationship with the judge. The judge orders that the spoils of the game go to Brother Scott, as his fee. He orders Cicero Sampson to leave town within three days, and sentences Bert to ten days in jail. In jail, Bert dreams of a poker game he plays by himself, with phantom opponents. He cuts the invisible deck and deals.","Bert Williams","Bert Williams, Wes Jenkins","None","United States",[47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58],"tt0004413","tt0005891","tt0006414","tt0006449","tt0006457","tt0006548","tt0006668","tt0006671","tt0006684","tt0006689","tt0006764","tt0006801",[60,63,66,69,72,75,78,81,84,87],{"movieId":61,"distance":62},"archive-ANATURALBORNGAMBLER1916BertWilliams",0.6116,{"movieId":64,"distance":65},"tt0047011",0.6372,{"movieId":67,"distance":68},"tt0035070",0.6381,{"movieId":70,"distance":71},"archive-gamblers-choice",0.6476,{"movieId":73,"distance":74},"tt0071532",0.6485,{"movieId":76,"distance":77},"tt0021659",0.6556,{"movieId":79,"distance":80},"tt0028914",0.6564,{"movieId":82,"distance":83},"tt0006736",0.6708,{"movieId":85,"distance":86},"tt0026131",0.6727,{"movieId":88,"distance":89},"tt0009389",0.6738,[],true,false,"2026-01-07T00:10:50.367Z",1779355536159]